Data transmission device and a method for activating a data transmission

• US 8,861,415 B2
• Filed: 05/25/2012
• Issued: 10/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fraunhofer Gesellschaft Zur Foerderung Der Angewandten Forsching E.V.
• Original Assignee: Fraunhofer Gesellschaft Zur Foerderung Der Angewandten Forsching E.V.
• Inventors: Gehrmann, Volker, Tittel, Martin, Hupp, Juergen, Fluegel, Christian, Sturm, Roland, Milosiu, Heinrich, Grillborzer, Artur
• Primary Examiner(s): Lai, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEE, ANDREW CHUNG CHEUNG
• Application Number:
  US13/481,492
• Publication Number:
  US 20120320809A1
• Time in Patent Office: 872 Days
• Field of Search: 370/311, 370/352, 370/389, 370/431, 370/465, 370/470, 370/509
• US Class Current: 370/311
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0235 where the received signal is a power saving command
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A data transmission device has a data transmitter and a wake-up receiver. The data transmitter is activable to change from an idle state into an operating state and to execute a data transmission with a communication partner in the operating state. The wake-up receiver is implemented to be ready to receive an initiation signal during the idle state of the data transmitter and to activate the data transmitter in response to the initiation signal. The wake-up receiver is further implemented to extract data transmission information from the initiation signal to determine a time for activating the data transmitter depending on the data transmission information or to activate the data transmitter such that the data transmitter executes the data transmission depending on the data transmission information.

Claims

1. A data transmission device, comprising:

a data transmitter which may be activated to change from an idle state into an operating state and to execute a data transmission with a communication partner in the operating state, and

a wake-up receiver which is implemented to be ready to receive for an initiation signal during the idle state of the data transmitter and to activate the data transmitter in response to the initiation signal,

wherein the wake-up receiver is implemented to extract data transmission information from the initiation signal to determine a time for activating the data transmitter depending on the data transmission information or to activate the data transmitter such that the data transmitter executes the data transmission depending on the data transmission information;

wherein the wake-up receiver further comprises an energy consumption which is smaller by a factor of at least 10 than an energy consumption of the data transmitter in the operating state;

wherein the initiation signal is a first initiation signal and wherein the data transmission device is implemented to send out a second initiation signal in response to receiving the first initiation signal, wherein the first and the second initiation signals comprise information which report when synchronization signals are to be expected which are to be received by the data transmitter; and

wherein the data transmission device is implemented so that the information which comprise the first and second initiation signals and report, when synchronization signals are to be expected, are given in the form of a time span which passes until sending out the synchronization signals, and that the first and second initiation signals deviate in so far as the time duration is considered which passes from receiving the first initiation signal until sending out the second initiation signal.

2. The data transmission device according to claim 1, wherein the wake-up receiver is implemented to transmit an activation signal to the data transmitter and wherein the data transmitter is implemented to change from the idle state into the operating state in response to the activation signal.

3. The data transmission device according to claim 2, wherein the wake-up receiver is implemented to transmit the activation signal with a time delay after receiving the initiation signal to the data transmitter.

4. The data transmission device according to claim 1, wherein the wake-up receiver is further implemented to receive an initiation signal signaling a sensor event and comprising a needed bandwidth and wherein the data transmission device is further implemented to send out a second initiation signal signalizing the sensor event by the sensor upon receiving the initiation signal signalizing the reception of the sensor event.

5. The data transmission device according to claim 1, wherein the data transmission information comprises a length of a time slot or a period duration of two subsequent time slots.

6. The data transmitter according to claim 1, which is implemented to exchange data with further data transmission devices using a TDMA method with a period duration and a time slot length, the wake-up receiver being implemented to extract a changed period duration and/or a changed time slot length from the data transmission information and the data transmitter being implemented to execute the data transmission using the changed period duration and/or the changed time slot length.

7. The data transmission device according to claim 1, wherein the time for the activation of the data transmitter is a synchronization time at which a synchronization signal may be received.

8. The data transmission device according to claim 1, wherein the data transmission information comprises a plurality of additional information separated from each other by a pause.

9. A data transmission system, said system comprising:

a plurality of data transmission devices which comprise;

a data transmitter which may be activated to change from an idle state into an operating state and to execute a data transmission with a communication partner in the operating state, and

a wake-up receiver which is implemented to be ready to receive for an initiation signal during the idle state of the data transmitter and to activate the data transmitter in response to the initiation signal,

wherein the wake-up receiver is implemented to extract data transmission information from the initiation signal to determine a time for activating the data transmitter depending on the data transmission information or to activate the data transmitter such that the data transmitter executes the data transmission depending on the data transmission information;

wherein the wake-up receiver further comprises an energy consumption which is smaller by a factor of at least 10 than an energy consumption of the data transmitter in the operating state;

wherein the initiation signal is a first initiation signal and wherein the data transmission device is implemented to send out a second initiation signal in response to receiving the first initiation signal, wherein the first and the second initiation signals comprise information which report when synchronization signals are to be expected which are to be received by the data transmitter; and

wherein the data transmission device is implemented so that the information which comprise the first and second initiation signals and report, when synchronization signals are to be expected, are given in the form of a time span which passes until sending out the synchronization signals, and that the first and second initiation signals deviate in so far as the time duration is considered which passes from receiving the first initiation signal until sending out the second initiation signal; and

a master node which is implemented to control the activation of the data transmission.

10. The data transmission system according to claim 9, wherein the master node is implemented to send out a periodic synchronization signal and to send out a further initiation signal, wherein the further initiation signal comprises information on the time of sending out the synchronization signal.

11. The data transmission system according to claim 9, further comprising a sensor node for detecting a sensor signal, wherein the sensor node is implemented to transmit the initiation signal in response to the sensor signal and thus activate the data transmission devices.

12. A data transmission system, said system comprising:

a plurality of data transmission devices, each of them comprising;

a data transmitter which may be activated to change from an idle state into an operating state and to execute a data transmission with a communication partner in the operating state, and

a wake-up receiver which is implemented to be ready to receive for a first initiation signal during the idle state of the data transmitter and to activate the data transmitter in response to the first initiation signal,

wherein the wake-up receiver is implemented to extract data transmission information from the first initiation signal to determine a time for activating the data transmitter depending on the data transmission information or to activate the data transmitter such that the data transmitter executes the data transmission depending on the data transmission information;

wherein the wake-up receiver further comprises an energy consumption which is smaller by a factor of at least 10 than an energy consumption of the data transmitter in the operating state;

wherein the initiation signal is a first initiation signal and wherein the respective data transmission device is implemented to send out a second initiation signal in response to receiving the first initiation signal, wherein the first and second initiation signals comprise information which report when synchronization signals are to be expected which are to be received by the data transmitter;

wherein the respective data transmission device is additionally implemented so that the information which comprise the first and second initiation signals and report, when synchronization signals are to be expected, are given in the form of a time span which passes until sending out the synchronization signals, and that the first and second initiation signals deviate in so far as the time duration is considered which passes from receiving the first initiation signal until sending out the second initiation signal; and

a plurality of sensors for detecting a sensor signal and sending out a second initiation signal based on the same, wherein the wake-up receiver of each data transmission device is further implemented to be ready to receive also for the second initiation signal during the idle state of the data transmitter and to activate the data transmitter in response to the second initiation signal such that the data transmitter sends out synchronization signals, wherein each data transmission device is additionally implemented to send out a first initiation signal upon receiving the second initiation signal.

13. The data transmission system according to claim 12, wherein each data transmission device is implemented such that the sent-out first initiation signal reports when the synchronization signals are to be expected which are sent out by the data transmitter of the data transmission device of the respective wake-up receiver upon the second initiation signal.

14. A method for activating a data transmission, said method comprising:

receiving an initiation signal by a wake-up receiver during the idle state of a data transmitter;

wherein the wake-up receiver further comprises an energy consumption which is smaller by a factor of at least 10 than an energy consumption of the data transmitter in the operating state;

extracting data transmission information from the initiation signal; and

activating a data transmitter in response to the initiation signal to change from the idle state into an operating state, to execute a data transmission with a communication partner in the operating state,

wherein the data transmission information comprises a time for activating the data transmitter or the data transmitter is activated such that the data transmission may be executed depending on the data transmission information;

wherein the initiation signal is a first initiation signal and wherein, in response to receiving the first initiation signal, a second initiation signal is sent out, wherein the first and second initiation signals comprise information which reports when synchronization signals are to be expected which are to be received by the data transmitter; and

wherein the information which comprises the first and second initiation signal and reports when synchronization signals are to be expected are given in the form of a time span which passes until sending out the synchronization signals, and the first and second initiation signals deviate in so far as the time duration is considered which passes from receiving the first initiation signal until sending out the second initiation signal.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the time of activating lies after a time duration after receiving the initiation signal and the activation is not executed until the time of activating.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium embodied with a computer program, wherein the computer program comprising program codes which when executed by a processor perform method for activating a data transmission steps of:

receiving an initiation signal by a wake-up receiver during the idle state of a data transmitter;

wherein the wake-up receiver further comprises an energy consumption which is smaller by a factor of at least 10 than an energy consumption of the data transmitter in the operating state;

extracting data transmission information from the initiation signal; and

activating a data transmitter in response to the initiation signal to change from the idle state into an operating state, to execute a data transmission with a communication partner in the operating state,

wherein the data transmission information comprises a time for activating the data transmitter or the data transmitter is activated such that the data transmission may be executed depending on the data transmission information;

wherein the initiation signal is a first initiation signal and wherein, in response to receiving the first initiation signal, a second initiation signal is sent out, wherein the first and second initiation signals comprise information which reports when synchronization signals are to be expected which are to be received by the data transmitter;

wherein the information which comprises the first and second initiation signal and reports when synchronization signals are to be expected are given in the form of a time span which passes until sending out the synchronization signals, and the first and second initiation signals deviate in so far as the time duration is considered which passes from receiving the first initiation signal until sending out the second initiation signal; and

wherein the time of activating lies after a time duration after receiving the initiation signal and the activation is not executed until the time of activating.